


Mix In Company

by blehgah



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Non-Idol AU, Singing in the Shower
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-10-21 03:22:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10676667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blehgah/pseuds/blehgah
Summary: Jihoon moves into a new apartment after accepting a new job. His neighbour has a beautiful singing voice--and that's all he knows about them, seeing as he's been too nervous to go over and say hi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Havokftw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havokftw/gifts).



> a birthday gift to Tree!! i hope you enjoy it!

When Jihoon moves into his new apartment, it’s not a big affair. His old roommate, Soonyoung, helps him move his crap, lamenting their separation in the car during the ride over. Jihoon humours him because—well, alright. He’s gonna miss Soonyoung, too. But this will be more convenient for work, and it’s not like he’s moved across the country.

“I mean,” Jihoon says once he carefully sets a box of dishes down in his new, tiny kitchen, “you could always just move in with your boyfriend if you think you’re gonna be lonely.”

The tips of Soonyoung’s ears turn pink. For a second, he looks like he’s gonna shout, his breath drawn up tight in his chest. Instead of blowing up, however, he deflates against the nearest flat surface.

“It’s a little too soon, don’t you think?” Soonyoung mumbles against his arm, which is protecting his face from the cold counter he’s lying on. “We’ve only been going out for, what, two months?”

“Why are you asking me? Do you think I’ve been keeping track of your love life?” Jihoon scoffs. “I have better things to think about.”

“Like your lack of one?” Soonyoung grins up at Jihoon from behind his arm. “Your love life, I mean.”

“Why do I need a love life when I have video games,” Jihoon deadpans.

Soonyoung raises his eyebrows.

“Plus, now that I live alone, I can jack it all I want while being as loud as I want,” Jihoon adds, wearing a crooked, crooked grin.

Soonyoung wrinkles his nose. His face disappears behind his arm as he grumbles, “you’re a degenerate. You’re a disgusting excuse for a human being.”

“Well, now you don’t have to live with me, at least.”

Soonyoung lifts his face. When he makes eye contact with Jihoon, his bottom lip begins to wobble.

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” Soonyoung whispers with a watery voice.

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “You’re welcome to visit whenever you want, you know,” he mutters.

“But what if I walk in on you jerking off?”

“That’s just a risk you’ll have to take.”

In a second, Soonyoung’s arms are around Jihoon’s waist. At first, Jihoon tenses, but he’s known Soonyoung—known him and his endless affection—too long to be unfamiliar with his touch.

“Seriously, it’s just a twenty-minute drive,” Jihoon murmurs into Soonyoung’s shoulder.

“It’s not the same.”

Jihoon is quiet for a second. “I know,” he sighs. He lifts a hand and runs his fingers through Soonyoung’s hair once. Soonyoung sighs and presses his face further into the junction of Jihoon’s shoulder.

Another few seconds pass. Jihoon starts to pat Soonyoung’s back at a measured pace.

“Okay, that’s enough now,” Jihoon says.

“So comfy,” Soonyoung mumbles in response.

“You’re gay as hell,” Jihoon sighs.

“No way, dude. No homo.”

“I’ll be sure to pass the message on to Chan.”

“Hey, wait!” Soonyoung bolts into an upright position and braces his hands on Jihoon’s shoulders. “I only mean no homo to  _ you _ .”

A wry grin splits Jihoon’s face. “I know, I know. I’ve seen enough homo from you two to last my entire lifetime, I think,” he says.

Waving a hand, Soonyoung finally leaves Jihoon’s space to flop onto the little couch in the small living space. “You’re the fully fledged gay here, Jihoonie—I’m just a meagre bisexual with a cute boyfriend,” he declares with a hand on his chest.

Sighing, Jihoon flops next to him. Soonyoung immediately takes the opportunity to burrow under one of Jihoon’s arms and settle against his side.

“At least you have a boyfriend,” Jihoon grumbles.

“You’re young yet, little one,” Soonyoung replies.

“Call me little one again and I’ll revoke your visiting rights.”

“No! Don’t! What’ll I do without my little Jihoonie!”

Jihoon elbows Soonyoung’s side none too gently. When Soonyoung’s resulting coughs subside, they both calm down again, slowly melting into human puddles oozing over the surface of a factory-fresh Ikea couch.

“Well, you never know,” Soonyoung pipes up, “with new places come new opportunities, right?”

Jihoon snorts. “We’ll see if some hot guy just comes falling into my lap.”

 

Be careful what you wish for.

The phrase flits across Jihoon’s mind when he walks into work the next day and meets the other new employees. A lot of them look around the same age as he is, fresh-faced and eager to make Adult Money, though his eyes stop when they come across a man with striking features: big doe eyes, full and pouty lips, a strong jaw. Eventually his gaze comes around to meet Jihoon’s and Jihoon can feel blood rushing to his face.

There’s intent in the man’s stance when he turns his shoulders towards Jihoon, but any plans he might have had to introduce himself or strike up conversation die when their team leader steps into the room. The air around them goes still and silent. With reluctance, Jihoon breaks eye contact and looks towards the newly arrived woman standing at the front of the room.

This is going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

“So have you seen your new neighbour yet?”

Seungcheol looks up from his fridge and meets Jeonghan’s curious gaze.

“Not yet,” Seungcheol sighs. “But it’s only been like, I don’t know, three days since they moved in? We’re bound to bump into each other eventually.”

Jeonghan makes a disbelieving noise in the base of his throat and returns to his phone. He’s sprawled out on Seungcheol’s couch, having hitched a ride with Seungcheol on his way back from work. His boyfriend, Jisoo, lives on the floor below him and Jeonghan’s waiting for him to come pick him up for dinner.

“If you’re so curious about them,” Seungcheol huffs as he returns his face to the fridge, “then why don’t you go and knock on their door?”

“ _ You’re _ the one who live here, though,” Jeonghan replies.

“So?”

“ _ So, _ it’s only logical that you do it, not me.”

Seungcheol sighs. “That doesn’t make any sense,” he grumbles to the carton of eggs in his hands.

“I’m sorry you can’t recognize my genius, Cheol.”

“I’m sorry you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Wow! Okay!” Jeonghan cries out, indignant—however, he’s still flat on his back on the couch, not moved enough to react physically. “Ignore your neighbour then! Die of curiosity!”

Seungcheol snorts as he turns his stove on. “If I die, you’re getting none of my stuff.”

Jeonghan turns to face him and pouts. If Seungcheol were a weaker man, then maybe the expression would have power against him, but Seungcheol and Jeonghan have been friends for years; he has had plenty of time to build his immunity to Jeonghan’s pretty-boy charms.

“You’re cruel and you’re mean,” Jeonghan calls from the couch. One glance is all Seungcheol needs to confirm that Jeonghan has returned to scrolling through his phone.

“You don’t give a shit,” Seungcheol replies.

A moment of quiet passes. It’s interrupted by the sizzle of the pan as Seungcheol begins preparing his dinner.

“You’re right,” Jeonghan says after a while, a bit past delayed and more in the territory of no longer paying attention. “Anyway, Shua’s here so I  _ really  _ don’t care.”

Jeonghan gets to his feet and picks up his bag from where it was slouched against Seungcheol’s kitchen counter. He gives Seungcheol a clap on the back.

“Thanks for the hospitality,” he says before turning on his heel.

“Thanks for nothing,” Seungcheol replies.

“Keep me updated on the neighbour situation!”

“You know I won’t.”

The front door opens. Seungcheol shifts to greet the person at the door while keeping his food in sight.

“Hi Cheollie!” Joshua greets from the doorway. It’s not long before Jeonghan has his arms wrapped around Joshua’s waist and his head smushed in the crook of Joshua’s neck. “Thanks for taking care of Hannie for me!”

Seungcheol smiles; it’s hard to resist Joshua’s sweetness.

“It’s all for you,” Seungcheol replies.

The smile on Josh’s face widens. “I appreciate it,” he says, sincerity crisp and clear in his tone.

“He didn’t do shit,” Jeonghan comments. His voice is muffled in Josh’s shirt.

“Mmhmm,” Josh replies placatingly. He bows his head in Seungcheol’s direction. “See you around then, Seungcheol!”

“Bye!”

Seungcheol forgets all about the neighbour situation later that night, eating fried rice in front of his laptop screen. He almost spills tea on his keyboard and calls it a night; he has to get up early for work tomorrow.

 

It’s been months since someone has occupied the apartment next to Seungcheol. He hasn’t heard a peep from the other side of the wall for so long that he nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears the sound of a voice oozing into his home.

On a Thursday morning, Seungcheol isn’t expecting much; it’s safe to say he’s barely awake at this bleary hour of 7:30AM. It takes him about twenty minutes to wrestle out of his shirt, and he barely has it over his head when he starts to hear it.

It’s a voice. A human voice. It sounds male, he thinks. In the end, he never did say hello to his new neighbour: he’d forgotten about it, despite Jeonghan’s misplaced curiosity about it, and even if he’d remembered, he hadn’t really had time the past week to do anything but sleep, eat, and work.

Now that he has an earlier shift at work, he’s taken to getting up earlier. He knows that he takes longer to get ready in the morning, so he gave himself a few hours to have food, make lunch, do some stretching…

_ “[Everybody’s looking for that something](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKPGxGCFgTs)…” _

Seungcheol pauses before he turns the water on for his shower. His neighbour is singing in English? Are they a foreigner?

_ “One thing that makes it all complete _ _  
_ _ You find it in the strangest places…” _

Seungcheol doesn’t recognize the song at all, but the singing is nice. The words are eventually drowned out by the sound of water hitting the tiled floor of his shower, though when he steps into the cubicle, the voice seems trapped within the glass walls and ceramic tiles. His body is wrapped in soothing warm water and a soothing, melodious voice.

As Seungcheol goes through his shower routine—and yeah, he might be taking his time so he can listen to this resonant voice—the singer on the other side of the wall serves as his personal soundtrack. They sing one more song in English before moving onto Korean, and this time, it’s something Seungcheol recognizes.

_ “[How are you doing these days?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uu44BqUW40) _ __  
_ It’s nothing in particular _ _  
_ __ I was just thinking about you and wanted an update...”

It’s a rap song, but his neighbour pulls it off pretty well. The syllables bounce off the shower tiles at a playful pace, rhythmic although lacking the original’s robust quality, but the singer really gets into their zone when the chorus kicks in.

Some part of Seungcheol is tempted to lean his head against the shower wall to see if it’d serve him better. He wants to stick his hands in this singer’s voice much like he’s doused his body in water; he wants this honey-sweet voice dripping over his skin in rivulets, enveloping him in comfortable, tranquil warmth.

God. He should try going to sleep earlier; he’s clearly not in his right mind.

The air goes still when Seungcheol cuts the water, but the remaining steam carries his neighbour’s voice, clings to it like a child, buoys Seungcheol’s body in this strange voyeuristic realm he’s created for himself. His head is encased in heat and a strange longing. 

Razor-sharp cold cuts through the haze surrounding him when he slides the shower door open. Distantly, he can hear the water on the other side of the wall shut off as well.

The following silence boxes him in tin walls that rattle with every move he makes. Everything is suddenly too loud: the brush of his towel over his skin, the drip of water from his hair onto the floor, the sound of his feet padding across the room.

Relief floods him when he opens the bathroom door. His eardrums seem to pop and the everyday sounds of the surrounding world bring him back to reality.

Mornings sure are weird sometimes.

 

* * *

 

A month passes and Jihoon still has yet to meet his neighbour. They live in a small apartment building and they’re the only two on their wing of the building. The place is old and rickety; Jihoon has to take a flight of creaky stairs in order to reach his home.

Although Jihoon hasn’t met his neighbour yet, some part of him considers them to be—acquainted.

The apartment building is old and the walls are thin in some places. They’re especially transparent in the bathroom, and for the past few weeks, Jihoon has been  _ communicating _ with his neighbour through there.

Don’t get him wrong, he doesn’t listen to his neighbour when they’re taking strenuous shits (though sometimes he catches wind of some  _ sounds of effort _ if you know what he means). Their mode of contact is not so obscene.

It is a typical Tuesday morning when Jihoon first hears the voice. Today, he’d gotten a late start, so he’d needed to drag himself out of dreamland and into the bathroom in a hurry. As soon as he shut the door, the outside world seemed completely sealed off, leaving him small and alone in the tiled box.

That’s when he hears it. It’s soft, quiet, delicate—there’s a cottony quality to it brought by its hesitance. It perseveres nonetheless, piercing through the barrier between his bathroom and his neighbour’s.

Part of him tells him he should be freaked out, but he’s too intrigued by the voice to listen to that side of his brain.

Singing in the shower has always come second nature to Jihoon. It calms him down, wakes him up, and sets his rhythm all at once. It’s a vital part of his morning routine.

The voice accompanies him as he turns the faucet to his own shower. For a second, it seems that the patter of water hitting the bottom of his shower will drown out the sound of his neighbour’s voice, but there’s a surge of sound—maybe the additional noise gives his neighbour confidence?

_ “[Hello?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwlKalNwGdk) _ __  
_ Did you eat? _ __  
_ Where are you? What are you doing? _ _  
_ __ Because I’m worried about you…”

Jihoon recognizes the song. It’s a bit old, but that just means he’s listened to it enough to have memorized the lyrics as well.

When his neighbour continues to the next verse, Jihoon can’t help but fill in the parts sung by the backup singers.

_ “Is there traffic? You’re running late…” _ sings his neighbour.

“Because of your impatient heart,” Jihoon answers, his voice floating hesitantly on the beat.

Seconds pass. His neighbour stops singing.

Embarrassment wells up in Jihoon’s chest. He scrubs his face with both hands, redirecting the torrent of water streaming over his eyes. Well, he won’t ever be able to say hi to his neighbour after all.

_ “I guess you forgot your battery,” _ the voice continues, quieter this time.

Jihoon blinks against the shower spray.

“I thought it was something else,” Jihoon adds. There’s a fraction more confidence to his voice this time.

_ “It seemed like it would rain,” _ his neighbour sings on more loudly this time around, loud enough to carry Jihoon’s voice along with it.

They work through the entire song together. Jihoon delights himself in harmonizing and dropping in the backup vocals, even dancing a little as he washes up.

Jihoon has moved onto soaping the backs of his knees when the song ends. The voice on the other side is silent. For a minute, all Jihoon can hear is the rush of water through the pipes.

“[Love, love the stars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKiauCIJhv0),” Jihoon starts, just going for it, clenching his eyes shut against the drip of shampoo and water over his face.

_ “Love, love the moon,” _ his neighbour answers. There’s mirth in that voice, as well as a warm and comforting ring to it, the peal of wind chimes fluttering on a spring breeze. Jihoon’s heart flutters in response.

When they get to the verse with the featured artist, the voice on the other side takes over completely. His neighbour spits out that rap with smooth and silky power that wraps around Jihoon’s ankles and climbs its way up until he’s completely enveloped in that voice.

Inhaling sharply, Jihoon extends an arm to the shower wall to steady himself. He’s so distracted by the other voice that he almost forgets his place in the song—but there’s no way he’d miss their line of harmony following the rap.

There’s a smile in the voice on the other side of his bathroom wall. Jihoon can’t see it, but he can tell; it’s rooted somewhere in his gut, somewhere his physical touch can’t reach, much like the voice.

The song comes to a close and Jihoon is left alone with the pitter patter of water hitting the bottom of his shower. His fingers have pruned and he might be running late for work—but somehow, some way, he just can’t find it in himself to care.

Water runs down his back as he listens for the next line, the next step. The quiet stretches on until it’s cut short by the distinct squeak of turning knobs. Somewhere in the barrier between them, the water stops, and the little bubble surrounding them bursts.

Jihoon sighs. His throat is warm with the heat of the water and the heat of the voice just beyond the wall. 

As Jihoon cuts the water to his own shower, he begins to imagine just what his neighbour might look like. They have a powerful voice, so—maybe taller than him? A glance in the mirror reminds him that yeah, it’s likely they’re taller than him; that’s not a commendable feat by a long shot.

The steam in the room curls at his feet as he stares at his reflection. He doesn’t have to speculate. He can just go and find out. 

Nodding to himself, Jihoon makes a promise to himself to knock on his neighbour’s door when he comes back from work that day.

 

Suffice it to say, Jihoon never does knock on the door. Once he reaches the top of the stairs on the way back from work that day, he stands in the archway and stares at his neighbour’s door. What if they’re not home? What if they are? What if Jihoon embarrassed them by interrupting their session of singing in the shower?

Jihoon takes a deep breath and steps forward. He takes one step, then another. He turns on his heel and hurries to unlock his door and enter his apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

“That’s so  _ romantic!”  _

Hansol turns to give his friend a questioning look. “Seungkwan, are you sure romantic is the word you want to use here?” Hansol turns back around to look at Seungcheol across the booth from him. “I think it’s just weird,” Hansol adds.

“Well, maybe it’s a bit of both,” Seungkwan relents, rolling his eyes a little. 

Huffing a sigh, Seungcheol dumps his chin into one hand. “It’s cute that you think so, but that doesn’t help me at all.”

Hansol blinks at Seungcheol from behind his coffee cup. “Oh, you wanted help? I just thought you had a funny story.”

Seungkwan slaps Hansol’s shoulder, earning him a muttered “hey” and a scowl. 

“Obviously he wanted advice from the resident love guru,” Seungkwan declares, beaming. 

Hansol raises both his eyebrows but decides not to comment. Smart move. 

When Seungcheol invited Hansol and Seungkwan out for coffee, he hadn’t meant to make it into some counselling session. In fact, he hadn’t really meant to invite Seungkwan at all—though Seungcheol should have known better, considering they’re a package more often than not these days. The thing is, Seungcheol can’t stop thinking about the whole singing-in-the-shower situation. He’s already worn out Jeonghan with updates, despite Jeonghan’s usually insatiable nosiness. Even Josh has heard it enough times that he can only give Seungcheol a thin smile when the issue is brought up. 

“So what, exactly, is stopping you from just going next door and talking to them?” Seungkwan asks. 

Seungcheol looks down into his cup of coffee. His reflection stares back at him with accusatory eyes. 

“It’s just—it’s weird, don’t you think?” Seungcheol answers lamely. 

“Told you,” Hansol mumbles under his breath. Seungkwan elbows him. 

With a big sigh, Seungcheol deflates a couple inches. “I’m nervous is all,” he mutters. “Like—we only really, like… Communicate in the bathroom. That already is enough to explain the whole thing, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, man,” Hansol agrees. “You guys sing while naked—that’s pretty weird in my opinion.”

“Well, who asked you?” Seungkwan huffs. Before either Seungcheol or Hansol can answer—since no one asked anyone, really—Seungkwan continues: “Think of it this way: it just means that you guys are obviously on a serious level of comfort with each other!”

Hansol snorts. Seungcheol blinks. 

“...does it?” Seungcheol hazards to reply. 

“Obviously!” Seungkwan repeats. He gestures vaguely and broadly with his hands. “Being able to sing like that together means you’re compatible. You can’t even see each other and yet you go for it. And it’s fun, right?”

“Y-Yeah,” Seungcheol agrees hesitantly. 

“And you guys must have a similar taste in music if you guys recognize each other’s songs,” Seungkwan continues. 

Hansol nods sagely, as if realization has dawned upon him and he has embraced enlightenment. “He’s got a point,” is Hansol’s insightful contribution. 

“If you’re nervous about having nothing to talk about, there’s that,” Seungkwan goes on. He pauses for a second, then raises an eyebrow. “Wait—unless you’re nervous for other reasons.”

Seungcheol raises an eyebrow in return. He’s not entirely sure where Seungkwan is going with this. 

“Is being able to hear them through my bathroom wall not a good enough reason to be nervous?” Seungcheol asks, a hint of incredulous laughter caught on his lips. 

“Yeah, okay, it’s weird; I get it. But like—is it weird because, like—you’re picturing them naked?”

“Well, they _are_ naked,” Hansol pipes in. Then he turns a serious look in Seungcheol’s direction. “Unless you shower with your clothes on.”

“Um—?” Seungcheol starts. He doesn’t get a chance to even form a sentence before Seungkwan is rounding on Hansol. 

“What kind of a dumb question is that?” He exclaims, disbelieving. 

Hansol lifts an eyebrow. “Is it any weirder than singing in the shower with your neighbour? And, like, how am I even supposed to word that question while making it clear that they’re not actually showering  _ together?” _

For a couple of seconds, Seungkwan flounders. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before turning to look at Seungcheol again. 

“ _ Anyway,” _ Seungkwan says severely, “if you’re having perverted thoughts, that would probably explain why you’re nervous.”

Seungcheol looks down at his coffee and wishes he could drown himself with it. 

“I don’t even know what they look like,” Seungcheol states. “I can’t even begin to imagine, dude. They’re just a disembodied voice to me.”

“So what’s the big deal!”

“Disembodied voices are kinda weird,” Hansol cuts in.

Seungkwan sighs with his entire chest. Shooting Hansol a sideways look, Seungkwan mutters, “everything’s weird to you, apparently.”

Hansol rolls his eyes. “Tell me  _ one _ normal thing about this whole situation.”

“Singing in the shower is normal! I sing in the shower all the time!”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point!”

“So then what  _ is _ the point!”

“The point is!” Hansol points at finger in Seungcheol’s direction. Hansol’s eyebrows are drawn in determination and the ferocity of Hansol’s finger-pointing might be enough to poke out some eyes in a worst case scenario. “The point is,” Hansol says, “is that Seungcheol needs to just go over there and knock.”

With a groan, Seungcheol drops his head onto the table. This has gone absolutely nowhere and now his coffee is cold.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Jihoon says into his headset as soon as Wonwoo connects to the server.

_ “Hey,” _ Wonwoo replies.  _ “How are you doing?” _

“I’ve been doing okay.” He clicks over to the Quick Play tab and watches as the queue timer pops up onto his screen. “Work’s been fine and it’s quiet over here as always. How about you?”

_ “Nothing to complain about. Pretty much the same as usual.” _

The other side goes quiet for a while. Jihoon racks his brain for things to say; usually, it’s not so bad to deal with silence on the other side. They play Overwatch together for the extra experience and coordination, not really to socialize. But it’s been a while since they’ve both been free at the same time, so it’s… a little weird. 

Jihoon is saved when they get put into a game. He remembers why he loves playing this game when he gets a triple kill with Lucio, pushing half the enemy team into the well at Ilios.

They finish the full king of the hill round when Soonyoung requests to join their group. Jihoon doesn’t even think before pressing  _ accept. _

_ “Hey guys!” _ comes Soonyoung’s too-loud voice through his microphone.

Wonwoo and Jihoon are friends through Soonyoung. They have only ever spent time alone together once—their “real friendship” christening—and it’s not like Jihoon dislikes the guy or anything. Their senses of humour are similar enough that Jihoon finds his company enjoyable. But having Soonyoung around to ease the awkwardness is a relief.

Thing is, Soonyoung is  _ not _ great at Overwatch. In fact, he only plays the game because of Jihoon: he got jealous one time he overheard Jihoon talking to Wonwoo and impulse bought the game. Turns out that first-person shooters give him enough motion sickness that he can’t play for a long time and improve at a reasonable pace.

_ “Wonwoo! It’s been so long, buddy!” _ Soonyoung chatters. He and Wonwoo play catch up for a little bit as the queue timer racks up seconds. It’s struggling a little bit since the matchmaking system has to compensate for Soonyoung’s lower rank.

Jihoon is in the middle of a flying shootout with another Pharah during a skirmish when he hears it.

_ “Wait, what? Singing in the shower? With his neighbour?” _ Wonwoo asks, disbelief clear in his tone despite the tinny quality of his microphone.

Pharah’s death cry rings in Jihoon’s ears as he stops paying attention to the game.

“Are you guys talking about me like I’m not here?” Jihoon interjects. His ears are hot under his headphones.

_ “Not my fault you’re not paying attention,” _ Wonwoo replies around a smug laugh.

_ “I thought you were listening,” _ Soonyoung whines.  _ “I swear you were like ‘uh-huh’ and stuff, and not just your ‘I’m humouring Soonyoung because it’s more annoying if I don’t’ thing!” _

_ “Okay, but seriously though—” _ Wonwoo pauses to jump in front of the moving cars on Oasis and laughs a little to himself.  _ “You’ve been singing in the shower with some person on the other side of your wall? For like, months now?” _

“Uh.” Jihoon looks at Wonwoo’s character in the game and sighs. Wonwoo punches at him until he replies, “I mean—I  _ guess. _ ”

_ “You guys gonna drop your mixtape any time soon?” _

Soonyoung laughs at that. Jihoon punches at Soonyoung’s character for lack of anything better to do while the round is in setup.

_ “How about ‘Shower Singing for the Soul’,”  _ Soonyoung suggests.

_ “What about ‘Shower Singing for the Soul, Live from Seoul?’” _ Wonwoo pipes in.

“I think you two should probably shut the fuck up,” Jihoon growls.

_ “What are you gonna do about it from all the way over there, Jihoonie?” _ Soonyoung teases him.

“Are you forgetting who your support is?” Jihoon snaps.

The round starts and Wonwoo’s character, Reaper, teleports away. The three of them grow quiet as they turn their attention to the game. It’s easy to forget the conversation ever happened, especially considering that Jihoon has to put extra focus into making sure Soonyoung’s ass stays alive.

It’s when they start a screaming match over their mics that Wonwoo pipes up: “Don’t you think your neighbour will think you’re murdering someone with that kinda yelling?”

Jihoon immediately grows quiet. Both Soonyoung and Wonwoo giggle.

_ “Wow, you’re whipped, huh?” _ Soonyoung comments.

“What, because I don’t want my neighbour to think I’m a murderous psychopath?” Jihoon shoots back right away.

_ “Since when did you care what people thought about your murderous intents?” _ Wonwoo asks.

“I don’t have any fucking murderous intents!”

Frantic clicking and keyboard tapping fills Jihoon’s apartment as his team scrambles for the objective. Soonyoung jumps in and dies and leaves Jihoon defenseless on the objective.

“Kwon Soonyoung, you fucking good for nothing piece of shit—”

DEFEAT flashes across the screen as the objective timer hits zero. Jihoon puts his face in his hands with a sigh the size of his entire body.

"Well, you should have at least tried to kill the bad guys," Soonyoung says, though his voice is smaller than usual.

For a few moments, Jihoon is silent. They've been sent back to queue since the rest of their team abandoned their sorry asses. The timer racks up seconds as Jihoon stares at his keyboard for a while.

_ "Do you think his neighbour plays?" _ Wonwoo asks. His voice seems sudden and large in their voice chatroom, but it fails to penetrate Jihoon's skull.

_ "That'd be nice. We need another tank," _ Soonyoung replies.

"We need a  _ better  _ tank," Jihoon groans. "How about we let this thing go for now, huh?"

_ "Dude, no. You seriously need to talk to them," _ Soonyoung says. He hums, contemplative, before adding,  _ "Either that, or you need to stop fucking talking about it." _

"Do I really talk about it that much?"

_ "Well—" _ Soonyoung hums again.  _ "Maybe not? But it's like—I'll catch you humming or singing under your breath sometimes and I'll be like 'wow, sounds like you're in a good mood' and then you scowl and tell me to fuck off." _

_ "Wait, how is that related to the whole thing?" _ Wonwoo asks.  _ "Sounds like normal Jihoon behaviour to me." _

_ "Well—" _ Soonyoung holds the sound for a few seconds.  _ "It's more like—he'll smile after, when he thinks I'm not looking. And it happens almost daily. And it's gotta be related to this whole singing in the shower thing." _

The chat is quiet again. The group is sent to skirmish, but none of them bother to pick a new hero.

"So what?" Jihoon asks, suddenly finding his voice. He frowns at his computer screen and picks Reinhardt, ready to smash some boxes with a giant hammer. "So what? That doesn't mean anything."

_ "And denial is just a river in Egypt. Uh-huh." _ Wonwoo sighs.  _ "I see Soonyoungie is still up to date with the latest Jihoon drama despite you guys not living together anymore." _

"'Jihoon drama'," Jihoon mutters. He swings at a couple of crates and misses. He takes a few more swings and finds his character crumpling to the ground. One look at the kill feed tells him he was sniped while he wasn't paying attention. Incredible.

_ "It makes up for the lack of drama in my life," _ Soonyoung quips in response.  _ "Speaking of, do you have anything to tell me about, Wonwoo-ya?" _

_ "Let's not do this here," _ he sighs in response.

"Oh, so it was perfectly fine to grill me in front of god and everyone?" Jihoon spits.

_ "That's the only way to get a kick out of making fun of you, though,"  _ Soonyoung reasons. _ "Plus it minimizes injury considering we're not in the same room." _

_ "You're really the one digging your own grave here, Jihoon-ah," _ Wonwoo points out.  _ "You're the one getting all defensive. If this really didn't matter to you, you would have just ignored us." _

Jihoon doesn't bother leaving the spawn point. Soonyoung and Wonwoo's characters approach him and start spamming emotes and voice lines.

_ "Come on, dude! It's not that hard to go over there and knock!" _ Soonyoung cries.

"It's been months," Jihoon deadpans. "They've gotta think I'm ignoring them on purpose."

_ "No way. Not if you've been serenading them through their damn shower this whole time!" _ Soonyoung replies.

_ "Yeah, I think it's about time you gave them a face to the voice that's been on the other side of the wall all these months," _ Wonwoo agrees.

Jihoon looks over the top of his computer monitor at the wall across from him. He has tried to conjure up an image of what his neighbour could look like a few times over the past couple months. He thinks his neighbour must be someone with... a big chest? Maybe? It's hard to say anything about anyone's looks just from their voice. 

In an ideal world, the person on the other side of Jihoon's wall is a handsome man who will someday invite him inside for coffee. Then they'll chat and it'll be a bit awkward at first, but they'll bond over their similar taste in music and maybe Jihoon will ask about what kind of shampoo his neighbour uses and they'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a loofah to exfoliate versus a scrubbing mitt. It'll be cute and quaint, in an ideal world.

The screen flashes, catching Jihoon's attention. They've been slotted into a game on Hanamura.

"I'll think about it," Jihoon mutters. "And that's the last thing I'll say about it. If you fuck up again, Soonyoung, I'm gonna fucking kick you out of the group."

_ "Okay! Sorry! Geez." _

Wonwoo laughs and Jihoon switches gears. God knows he'll distract himself if he starts dreaming of ways he'll approach his neighbour.


	3. Chapter 3

It's a Tuesday morning when Seungcheol wheels a cart over an obstacle that shakes the piles of paperwork balanced precariously on top of it.

"Ouch," says a voice from behind the cart.

"Oh!" Seungcheol immediately stops the cart. It rests lopsided and the papers begin to list to the side.

"Ouch," the voice says again.

Seungcheol stopped the cart over the person's other foot. He can't see the person from behind the pile of papers, so he scrambles to move the cart away as quickly as possible... sending it racing down the narrow space between cubicles. A few file folders tumble to the ground.

Both Seungcheol and his colleague watch as the cart comes to a crashing halt into a cubicle wall. At least that was its initial destination.

Seungcheol finally looks over at his colleague and immediately feels his stomach plummet to his knees. It's That Cute Guy three desks over, Lee Jihoon. They talk sometimes at the water cooler and during snack breaks at team meetings. Seungcheol might hazard to say they're acquaintances—which is good progress for him, considering he's been fantasizing about being Jihoon's boyfriend since the moment they met. Every time he lays eyes on Jihoon's hands, he feels the strong urge to hold them; every time he lays his eyes on Jihoon's soft, pink mouth, he can't help but wonder what it'd be like to kiss them.

He's deeply fucked. And that's not even counting the papers on the floor.

Jihoon looks up at him and quirks an eyebrow, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Do you need help with that?" he asks. 

Something about Jihoon's voice always sounds familiar somehow, but Seungcheol blames it on the fact that he daydreams about it too often.

It takes some effort for Seungcheol to tear his gaze away from Jihoon's smiling eyes, but he turns to look at the trail of papers left in the wake of the cart. The damage done isn't substantial, but it'll take some kneeling to clean up and Seungcheol's got bad knees.

"No," Seungcheol finally replies. His voice is meek as it floats out of his chapped lips. "No, it's alright, I—I couldn't trouble you after running the damn thing over your foot like that in the first place."

Sighing, Seungcheol starts to turn towards the papers, but then he freezes so abruptly in his tracks that he feels his skeleton creak.

"Oh god!" Seungcheol cries, turning back towards Jihoon. "I'm so sorry about that! Are you okay?"

Jihoon's eyebrows fly into his bangs first, and then, in seconds, his entire face disappears behind his hands as he breaks into laughter. His voice shakes with mirth, but Seungcheol can't tell if he's laughing at the situation or at Seungcheol himself. Just hearing it makes Seungcheol's stomach do flips, so he supposes the reason doesn't matter much anyway.

"Am I—?" he starts, but his laughter warps his words beyond recognition. "Seungcheol, you pushed a plastic cart over my foot twice, you didn't push me off a cliff. I'm fine. Here—"

Before Seungcheol can say anything, Jihoon bends his knees and starts shuffling papers into his hands. 

"I have no idea how any of this was organized before," Jihoon comments from the floor, "so maybe I'm doing more harm than help."

"Oh, no, it's—" and now Seungcheol is rushing to the floor. He hurries to gather the papers into something resembling neatness. "It doesn't matter; I was meant to organize them myself anyway. Now they've just been a little bit delayed on their way over to my desk."

A few nervous chuckles shimmy their way out of Seungcheol's mouth. Jihoon laughs with him, like Seungcheol said something legitimately funny, and honestly, Seungcheol is more than happy to take it.

"What's that saying? It's not the destination that matters, but the journey you took to get there?" Jihoon says.

As Seungcheol nods and racks his brain for a response, he feels skin brush his fingers. His head snaps up as he immediately looks for Jihoon's reaction.

Jihoon doesn't look up right away. His fingers linger over Seungcheol's for maybe a second longer than Seungcheol thinks he can handle, and then he's moving onto the next paper. What gives him away, however, is the soft, small smile adorning his lips.

Seungcheol swallows the lump in his throat and tries to remember how to breathe.

 

* * *

 

There's honestly no reason for Jihoon to be late to work. He's got an afternoon shift today, so he had enough time to sleep and get ready. He thinks he'll blame it on his wandering mind—which, in turn, he blames on his elusive neighbour.

They might have had another singing session. He might be listening to the song they sang together on loop. He might be compiling a playlist of all the songs they've ever sung together. No one's counting.

Anyway, it's left him with less time to run to the coffee shop across the street from his work building, but dammit, he's going to get some coffee anyway. He has high hopes that it will help him get his head on straight.

Just as he's jogging to the front door, someone turns the corner and meets him head-on in a full-body collision. Jihoon ends up with his ass right on the concrete.

Across from him is someone in a crumpled shirt and tie. Jihoon's eyes climb up the lines of that shirt and land on the handsome face of one Choi Seungcheol.

Jihoon tries hard not to die on the spot.

There's this thing that's been going on between them ever since they started working together.  Seungcheol smiles at him widely and seduces him with those dimples and that dorky laugh and Jihoon dies every time they so much as exchange words. Luckily for Jihoon, though, he's spent years training his expression (i.e. he has no idea how to emote beyond wry smiles and steady eyebrows) and so he hasn't given anything away yet. He's looking for the right opportunity to say... something. Anything. Anything beyond "hey how's it going?" or "can you believe these numbers?" or "I swear our boss must be smoking weed in her office; why isn't she sharing?" would be fantastic. Probably. Jihoon can't guarantee anything good at this point, but they're getting closer and closer to stagnating and then Seungcheol's going to figure out that Jihoon doesn't deserve his cute grins nor his shyness and Jihoon will really die for real.

It takes a few seconds for Jihoon to pop back into his brain. When he does, he bolts upright and hurries over to Seungcheol's side.

"Are you okay?" Jihoon pants. A second of indecision slows his movements but then he's grabbing at Seungcheol's arm and attempting to pull him to his feet.

Seungcheol accepts the help with grace. He rises and gives Jihoon the sunniest smile Jihoon has ever had the privilege to witness; it makes him want to cry a little. At least he can blame it on the pain if he cracks.

"I'm just fine," Seungcheol says. His eyes are round crescents and his lips are spread wide with his genuine happiness. "Even better now that you're here!" he chirps.

Immediately after Seungcheol's words pass his lips, his expression flashes to embarrassment, his eyebrows drawn together and his lips a little slanted.

Jihoon can't think of anything better to do than laugh; his other option is dying on the spot.

"I'll trust you on that one," Jihoon says. The cloud of concern floating over Seungcheol's shoulders dissipates a little. "Are you coming in?" Jihoon asks, glad to redirect the conversation.

"Oh! Yeah, I was getting coffee," Seungcheol says with a nod.

Both Seungcheol and Jihoon go for the door at the same time, almost knocking heads. Again.

"Uh," they say in unison.

"You first," they continue, still speaking at the same time.

It doesn't take long for them to start laughing. However, their fun is interrupted when a patron from the inside of the store opens the door and holds it for them. They scurry inside and get in line.

"Are you on your break?" Jihoon asks.

Seungcheol shakes his head. "No, I just got off," he replies.

Jihoon's head takes those words and runs with them in the direction of somewhere fun, but then Jihoon's logic shoots that thought in the knees before it can really get away from him.

"Ah," Jihoon says in acknowledgement, his voice a low breath. He can feel Seungcheol's brow grow heavy with confusion and maybe a hint of concern, so he hurries to add, "I'm supposed to clock in at—"

Jihoon looks at his watch. He was supposed to be in the door about five minutes ago.

"Oh, shit," he sighs.

"'Oh shit o'clock'?" Seungcheol asks around a laugh.

Jihoon quirks an eyebrow at him. Then he shakes his head, throwing his hands up. "Well," he says with a lot less remorse than his employer would probably like, "I'm already in line. What more harm could be done while waiting for a coffee?"

Seungcheol looks at the line in front of them. When his eyes return to Jihoon’s, he says, "listen: how about I get your coffee for you while you get up to the office?"

Jihoon sputters. "Oh, I—" 

"Don't worry about it," Seungcheol tells him. "I got you. You can just text me what you want once you're behind your desk. Does that sound like a good deal to you?"

Jihoon opens his mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. Since he seems incapable of words, he settles on nodding frantically instead.

Seungcheol takes a napkin from a nearby table and scribbles some numbers on it. He hands it to Jihoon and pats him on the shoulder, directing Jihoon over to the door.

"If the boss sees you running, she might spare you some pity!" he says cheerfully.

Jihoon isn't sure if he should roll his eyes or laugh at his own misfortune. Instead, he thanks Seungcheol with a bow and heads out the door.

 

* * *

 

[ **Lee Jihoon** has entered the  **bleach brothers** chatroom.]

[ **Kwon Soonyoung** has entered the  **bleach brothers** chatroom.]

[You are now  **online** ! Say hi!]

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: jihoon! shouldn't you be working?

[ **lemon fairy** ]: i should but

[ **lemon fairy** ]: i just had a run-in with The Guy

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: oh? you mean Your Man?

[ **lemon fairy** ]: please

[ **lemon fairy** ]: sigh ok yeah i guess

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: wow this must be big if you're online during work

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: ok hit me with the deets!!

[ **lemon fairy** ]: i got his number??

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: WHAT

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: HOW???

[ **lemon fairy** ]: i bumped into him at the coffee shop outside work

[ **lemon fairy** ]: we were in line together when i realized i was running late. he offered to get me coffee so i could clock in asap

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: wow how chivalrous. talk about the perfect man ig

[ **lemon fairy** ]: don’t be jealous

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: jihoonie. you know i am the opposite of jealous

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: the real issue at hand is this: what are you gonna do now?

[ **lemon fairy** ]: um

[ **lemon fairy** ]: i’m not sure

[ **lemon fairy** ]: text him, i guess. isn’t that what people do with phones?

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: goddamn are you boring

[ **lemon fairy** ]: fuck off. i need a game plan, but i gotta start somewhere, right?

[ **kwon hurricane** ]: and there’s our ever-dependable, logical lee jihoon

[ **lemon fairy** ]: the one and only

 

* * *

 

For the rest of the day, Seungcheol stares at his phone and tries to figure out what to say. The little exchange they had about what kind of coffee Jihoon wanted remains the only texts between them, and honestly, the expectation that there should be more than that is entirely Seungcheol’s doing.

He supposes that it isn’t an  _ expectation _ per se. It’s more of a  _ hope. _ But if he wants things to happen, then he needs to be the one to set them in motion, right? Things won’t just fall into his lap.

God, does he want them to. And Jihoon, too—there’s plenty of room for Jihoon on his lap.

That train of thought distracts him with too-vivid images of Jihoon on his lap, his head tucked against Seungcheol’s chest. They can have coffee together after a day at work, now that Seungcheol knows what kind of coffee Jihoon likes, and cuddle on the couch. It’s a perfect plan.

Although, now that he thinks about it, he and Jihoon never leave work at the same time. Their schedules only ever line up for a couple hours every week, so maybe he’d have to wait a bit for Jihoon to come home. That’s fine, though; he can clean up a bit in the meantime.

It’s an awfully domestic thing, imagining himself cleaning up a shared apartment with a guy who barely knows his name.

It’s awfully pathetic, too, isn’t it.

Distantly, Seungcheol can hear his neighbour coming home. The front door opens with a creak and closes with a soft click. The walls here are thin, sure, but Seungcheol only ever hears things when he focuses. He’s got more pressing things on the brain right now.

The safe choice—and maybe his only choice—is their commonality: work.

Boring, but it’s better than nothing.

 

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
Hey jihoon! How did the rest of your shift go?

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
business as usual. luckily for me, the boss was also late. she got in maybe a minute after me

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
definitely gave me the chance to enjoy the coffee rather than season it with nervous sweat

 

Seungcheol chuckles to himself. The sound echoes in his empty, quiet apartment and god, he can  _ hear _ just how smitten he is. Part of him wants to be embarrassed but part of him can’t be bothered to care anymore.

 

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
how did your afternoon go? did you make it home alright?

 

It also seems like Jihoon is a shameless double texter, which really soothes Seungcheol in his heart of hearts.

 

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
Yeah, i did. It’s been a relaxed time so far. Just me and the tv tonight

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
oh that reminds me, there’s a new episode of master chef on tonight

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
Oh you’re right! I can’t wait to put it on while i eat my mediocre dinner

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
lmao same. i’m feeling like delivery today. afternoon shifts don’t give me enough time to make anything

 

They text about food preferences and inconvenient work hours. Seungcheol manages to get up and sluggishly prepare his dinner as discussed, taking numerous breaks in between to text back.

Distantly, Seungcheol can hear someone trudge up the stairs outside his apartment. They go to the next door over and knock. Looks like his neighbour’s having delivery tonight as well.

As he sits alone at his dinner table, squinting at the TV over in the living room, he and Jihoon live-text the entire show. Jihoon has a different favourite contestant than Seungcheol does, but he can see the contestant’s appeal, and by the end of the episode, Seungcheol finds himself cheering for that guy as well. Dammit, Seungcheol really is a sucker, isn’t he.

Eventually, the texting peters out. They took a break to finish up dinner and to read other people’s Master Chef reactions on Twitter. Then Jihoon mentions something about going off to play an online game, but he’s vague about it, like he’s embarrassed.

 

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
i dunno it’s just that i can get a little competitive, which is annoying, but i know it’s annoying, which might just be the worst part

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
anyway, my friends are online now and they’re also being annoying

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
we’re all annoying. trust me, you wouldn’t want to play with us

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
You didn’t even tell me what the game is called lmao

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
...it’s overwatch

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
ok bye hope you have a good night see you later!!!

 

Seungcheol figures that’s the last he’ll hear from Jihoon tonight. But, the bright side is that he, too, plays Overwatch.

 

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
Wait who do you main?

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
lucio. wall-riding man of my dreams

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
A support main, huh?

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
yeah i really hate myself i guess

[ **Seungcheol** ]:   
lol looks like it. glhf!!

[ **Jihoon** ]:   
tyvm :D

 

Seungcheol puts his phone down and covers his face with both hands, fighting off a grin. Maybe Jihoon is The One after all.

 

* * *

 

Jihoon finds Seungcheol at the water cooler the next week. They’d been texting very casually every day. Jihoon was more than delighted to discover their shared interests, and it’s been fun chatting about them. At one point they exchanged Overwatch usernames, but that was as far as progress went.

Jihoon thinks he might be ready to ask Seungcheol out in, like, a week. Maybe. A month, tops.

When Jihoon stops for a drink, Seungcheol waves at him.

“Hey, Jihoon!” Seungcheol calls out.

Jihoon gives him a nod as he gulps down some water.

“Hey,” he replies eventually.

Seungcheol’s face is bright, stretched by a wide and excited grin.

“Did you hear about the thing happening tonight?” Seungcheol asks.

Jihoon raises his eyebrows. He tries to think back—his entire afternoon has been a blur to him since he and Seungcheol are actually working together for once. A lot of his brain power went to maintaining conversation while not dying. It was a herculean feat.

“What… thing?” Jihoon asks slowly.

Seungcheol’s shoulders slump a little, but his smile doesn’t waver.

“The karaoke night!” he elaborates. “Seokmin told me you’d be coming?”

The way Seungcheol’s excitement tapers off into uncertainty makes Jihoon’s stomach do a couple of flips in succession. Jihoon wishes he were as athletic as his stomach.

“He invited me,” Jihoon begins. There’s a spark of hope in Seungcheol’s eye and Jihoon finds himself saying, “so of course I’ll be coming.”

It’s not that Jihoon doesn’t like karaoke. He likes to sing and he likes spending time with his friends, so the two things together is often a fun and enjoyable combination. The problem here is that while Jihoon is, in fact, friends with Seokmin, he’s not particularly close to some of the other people invited. That includes Seungcheol.

Seungcheol’s intended presence is both a compelling and repelling force. Jihoon wants to spend more time with him outside of work, but to do it in a small room with flashing lights and tinny instrumentals? That sounds more like third or fourth date material, not… whatever this is—some half-assed attempt at making new friends, he supposes.

When Jihoon finishes speaking and tops it off with a slight smile, Seungcheol seems to relax.

“Awesome,” Seungcheol says. Jihoon wonders if Seungcheol’s face hurts from smiling so much for so long. “I can’t wait to see you there.”

Jihoon can’t help but smile back at those words. “Yeah?”

Seungcheol flushes a tiny bit and averts his gaze. The ceiling tiles must be incredibly interesting all of a sudden.

“I mean—we hardly see each other after work,” he explains tentatively.

“You mean never,” Jihoon corrects him.

“I—I, personally, count that time when I saw you in the… coffee shop. Across the street.” Seungcheol trails off and returns his gaze to Jihoon’s eyes.

Jihoon nods. “You know what, you’re right,” Jihoon agrees. “I still haven’t paid you back for that one.”

Seungcheol opens his mouth to protest, but Jihoon holds up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jihoon says in the smoothest manner he can manage. All things considered, it’s not bad. Passing grade, probably. “How does a beer at karaoke sound to you?”

The flush in Seungcheol’s face darkens, but he’s still smiling. He nods vigorously.

“Awesome,” Jihoon says. He glances over his shoulder and sees their boss making her way towards the water cooler in quick, purposeful strides.

“Shit,” Jihoon and Seungcheol say in unison. 

“I’ll see you tonight, then?” Jihoon asks. Somehow, in the span of five minutes, Jihoon managed to make plans with coworkers that he’s actually looking forward to.

Seungcheol nods again. This time, when a smile crosses his features, it’s slow and sure and devastatingly handsome.

“Can’t wait,” he replies.

Jihoon tries not to die on the spot.


	4. Chapter 4

Soonyoung's coming, because of course he is. He's Seokmin's best friend, so Jihoon supposes it makes sense, but he figured it would be a work-only thing? Oh well. It's nice to have support. Kinda.

"So, your man's coming tonight, right?" Soonyoung asks from behind the wheel.

Jihoon slides into the passenger's seat with a sigh.

"You know, I'm still curious about your mystery neighbour," Soonyoung says, casting a glance up at the apartment building.

Jihoon sighs again. He grabs Soonyoung's hand from the steering wheel and puts it on the gearstick.

"You're never gonna be more curious than me," Jihoon deadpans, "but that's a mystery for another night. I just—I don't know what I'm supposed to do about tonight."

Snorting, Soonyoung shakes off Jihoon's hand and puts the car into gear. They drive off into the city, the dusk sun streaking the sky with beautiful pinks and blues and purples. Streetlamps blink rhythmically through the windows, and it'd all be beautiful if it weren't for the nervousness casting a dark shadow over Jihoon's outlook.

"What do you mean?" Soonyoung asks. "You have his number. You guys talk. You guys see each other at work. You even offered to buy him a beer tonight! Things are going great!"

"I'm just—I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," Jihoon mutters.

"Come on, dude, give yourself some more credit," Soonyoung replies. He looks over at Jihoon at the next red light and manages to catch his gaze. The smile Soonyoung sends his way is, despite Jihoon's predisposition for negativity, warm and reassuring. It's the smile of an old friend.

"You only ever give me half-assed stories," Soonyoung continues. "I'm sure there are signs of reciprocation you're ignoring because of who you are as a person."

"Gee, thanks."

"Am I wrong?"

Jihoon sighs for the umpteenth time. "No," he spits.

"Exactly. So 'fess up."

With a grumble of frustration, Jihoon crosses his arms over his chest and sinks in his seat. "I don't know what you want me to say, Soonyoung!" he cries. "We, like—we make small talk and stuff! He likes to play basketball and one of his friends has been nagging him to try volleyball. He likes dogs a lot, but his landlord won't let him—not that he has the money, anyway. He lives by himself and he has an older brother—but that's it! That's all I know!"

Silence falls over the car, save for the low hum of the radio.

"Jihoon," Soonyoung says.

The silence had already started to crawl under Jihoon's skin, but Soonyoung's voice cutting through it pierces Jihoon through his gut. He sits up with a start.

"Yes?" he replies a little too loudly.

"That's great progress, all things considered," Soonyoung says. His tone is soft yet solid with wonder. "And you'll only find out more as things go on. Today should be an excellent opportunity to continue getting to know him."

Something in Jihoon's chest rises, hopeful, but it quickly deflates—probably because of who Jihoon is as a person, as Soonyoung put so eloquently.

"You think so?" Jihoon asks.

"Hell yeah!"

Soonyoung's honest enthusiasm coaxes that warmth back into Jihoon's chest. He supposes this is why Jihoon keeps him around.

"Okay," Jihoon murmurs eventually.

Soonyoung looks over at him. "Feel better about it?"

Jihoon nods mutely. "Yeah," he mutters.

He can do this. It'll be fine; maybe Seungcheol will be impressed with his singing? Or something? Maybe one beer will be all it takes for him to confess his love so they can elope and frolic in some flowery fields?

God. At least there'll be beer at all.

 

* * *

 

Seokmin and his friend Soonyoung (who waves enthusiastically at Seungcheol when their eyes meet), their coworkers Seungkwan and Mingyu, and Jihoon shuffle into the modest karaoke place. On a Wednesday night, it's not busy at all.

Once they're guided to their rooms, one of the store clerks holds out a menu to Seungcheol, who'd been the last one to step through the threshold.

"Here," the clerk says. "Just take your orders to the front desk if you want anything."

"Uh... sure," Seungcheol replies.

The clerk gives him a firm nod and disappears down the hall.

Seungcheol steps into the room and closes the door behind him. The room isn't entirely soundproof—that would be way too much money for a place like this—but the hum of machinery outside dies when the door seals the air inside.

"Hey," Seungcheol says, waving the menu. Everyone inside looks up at him. 

Normally, this kind of attention would unnerve him; Seungcheol is only kinda friendly with Seokmin since they're in different departments, and he doesn't know Soonyoung at all, but his sorta-friends—Mingyu and Seungkwan, who sit in cubicles on either side of him at work—give him warm smiles that soothe his fluttery stomach.

He makes eye contact with Jihoon. The flutters return.

"The guy at the front gave me a menu," he says. He gives the piece of laminated paper a quick glance. "There are snacks and drinks. He said to give the order at the front if we want anything."

He receives a few nods.

"Bring it here," Seokmin says, gesturing with lively hands.

Seungcheol shuffles closer to him. There's a table in the middle of the room, probably for the possible refreshments they may order, and he has to navigate around it in order to reach Seokmin on the couch.

He hands off the paper before taking a deep breath and taking a seat next to Jihoon. Jihoon looks up at him with a smile.

"So, a beer for you?" Jihoon asks. "What are you drinking?"

"I'll have an OB," Seungcheol replies. His voice is still a little small, but he doesn't want to interrupt the conversations around him. That's all.

Jihoon leans in so he can listen. "Alright," Jihoon says, nodding. "Me too."

Jihoon goes off to find Seokmin so they can pool the orders together. The two of them disappear from the room in a matter of minutes.

Seungcheol looks around the room, feeling awkward again. Seungkwan has already seized the remote control and he's flipping through menus. Soonyoung's giving him a bit of a sideways glance and Seungcheol doesn't really know what to think about that.

Mingyu sidles up to him.

"Hi, hyung," he says, his usual sweet smile on his face. There's a hint of mischievousness to it though, which is a little suspicious.

"Hi, Mingyu," Seungcheol replies. Leaning back, he gives Mingyu a quick once-over; he doesn't seem to be armed or dangerous. "How're you doing?"

"Great! Just fine, actually." Mingyu leans back as well, but he also leans towards Seungcheol in the same motion. He slings an arm over the back of Seungcheol's section of couch. "How's Jihoon?"

Ah. Seungcheol supposes that would be the other shoe dropping.

"He's just fine," Seungcheol says, flushing. All this awkwardness is ruining his reputation as a strong and dependable hyung, dammit. "I'm sure you can ask him yourself when he comes back."

Mingyu giggles. He outright  _ giggles. _ "I've seen the looks you two have been giving each other," he says. 

Seungcheol lifts both eyebrows. "Yeah? What looks?"

Mingyu rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean! The goo-goo eyes! The goofy smiles! The longing, the pining!"

His dramatics are pretty cute; Mingyu's lucky he's so handsome and lovable, or else Seungcheol probably would have decked him by now. Out of embarrassment. Yeah.

"I know nothing of which you speak," Seungcheol replies, falling to Mingyu's level by throwing the dramatics back at him. He lays a hand over his chest and adopts what he hopes is an aghast expression.

Mingyu leans forward and slaps Seungcheol's shoulder a little.

"Don't be like that," he says, though his annoyance is clearly playful. His toothy, sharp grin gives it all away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Honest!"

With a huff, Mingyu backs off. "Fine," he sighs. "I know it'll take someone stronger than me to crack you. Guess that's why Seungkwan tagged along."

Before Seungcheol can ask what Seungkwan has to do with anything, Seokmin and Jihoon return. They distribute the drinks and snacks. There are a couple bottles of soju in the mix; it looks like this'll be a fun night.

Jihoon returns to his spot just as Mingyu flees. Seungcheol will grill him for details later.

"Beer for you," Jihoon says, offering the drink forward. Seungcheol takes it. Their fingers brush a little, just like in the movies, and he manages not to die of embarrassment right there and then.

Jihoon grins. "And a beer for me," he finishes. He pops his open and reaches over to do the same for Seungcheol's.

The drink fizzes and almost foams over, but Seungcheol fumbles with it so that it doesn't spill into his lap. Okay, so maybe this won't be seamless. But at least Jihoon's smiling, and that's the important part.

As Seungcheol takes a few sips, he looks over at the table. He jerks his thumb in the general direction of the soju bottles.

"Any of those yours?" he asks. He's only half serious.

A sly smile pulls at Jihoon's lips. "Yeah," he affirms. "I got a few, and some for you, too, if you're interested."

Helpless laughter bubbles up in Seungcheol's chest.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

 

* * *

 

Turns out that Seungkwan and Seokmin have incredible voices. Jihoon can see why they wanted to put this whole thing together.

After the first few times they sang together, the room dissolved into applause. The next few times, the rest of the room had started to grow a little restless.

Sure, the two of them are great distractions, but Jihoon can feel the clock ticking. He has to make a move before this is all over.

Seungkwan seems to be reading his mind; he walks over and shoves the song book into Jihoon's hands.

"I'm sorry, I know we're hogging," Seungkwan says, and he sounds genuinely apologetic. "It's been a while. But I heard you have a good voice?"

Jihoon glances in Soonyoung's direction. He gives Jihoon a thumbs up.

"Depends on who you're asking," Jihoon replies around a chuckle. "But yeah, I'll go next. I think you guys warmed up the machine well enough."

Both Seungkwan and Seungcheol hover over his shoulder as he flips through the pages. The built in metronome beeps rhythmically beyond them. It's all a little nerve-wracking—and annoying, too.

Jihoon lifts his head, just about to shoot them a glare, before Soonyoung swoops in and saves Jihoon's would-be adversaries.

“Heeeey, Seungcheol,” Soonyoung says, looping an arm over both Seungcheol and Seungkwan’s shoulders. “You know, I never really got a chance to introduce myself!”

Seungkwan whines. “Wait, why am I being dragged along?”

“To play wingman, duh,” Soonyoung replies, clicking his tongue.

With that distraction gone, Jihoon can focus on the wide variety of songs before him. EXO released a song recently, but he’s not really feeling it. Maybe something a little less druggy. Maybe something a little more upbeat.

He’s been listening to a lot of Day6 lately, so…

The opening notes for “Dance Dance” jump into the room. His companions sit up in their seats and clap to the beat.

When the chorus rolls around, everyone sings along with the line “dance dance with me”. It’s nice to have their support, to hear everyone’s voices chiming along with him. The music flows through his body and he stands up, shifting his weight from foot to foot along with the beat.

It’s a fun little song and everyone jumps in as backup singers—everyone except for Seungcheol.

Jihoon can see him in the corner of his eye staring at Jihoon with a slack jaw. Those pretty, plush lips of his are open wide enough to let a fly in.

Although he tries his hardest not to, Jihoon fumbles a bit as the song comes to a close. Soonyoung meets his eye across the table and shoots him a confused look.

There’s no time to say anything, though: Seungkwan’s rushing over before Jihoon can even get close to Soonyoung.

“You’re amazing!” Seungkwan gushes.

That’s a pretty high compliment coming from someone with a voice like Seungkwan’s. Jihoon might be blushing a little. 

Seungkwan convinces him to do a duet together and, contrary to his initial expectations, it’s not intimidating at all. Seungkwan’s voice easily overpowers his, but Jihoon is happy to give him the spotlight and accentuate Seungkwan’s voice with harmonies. Judging by the wide smile on Seungkwan’s face, he’s happy with it, too.

After that first song finishes, Seungkwan ropes Mingyu into doing a song with the two of them. Mingyu’s voice is a little shy, but he can carry a tune alright. He really gets into a rap in the middle of the song and Jihoon realizes that Seungkwan knows how to match songs perfectly to their performers.

The entire time Jihoon sings, Seungcheol continues to give him this dazed and confused look. Is Jihoon growing a second head? What’s going on? It can’t be his singing: Seungkwan said it himself, Jihoon sounds just fine.

Jihoon leaves his mic with Seokmin and makes a move towards Seungcheol, but before he can get a word in, Mingyu’s bounding over and taking Seungcheol by the hand. Seungcheol passes him and flashes him a strange smile, still strained by… whatever it is he’s experiencing at the moment.

Weird. In the meantime, Jihoon grabs a bottle of soju from the table and settles next to Soonyoung.

“Hey,” Soonyoung greets him. He leans over and taps his bottle of soju against Jihoon’s. “Cheers to your singing.”

Jihoon snorts. “Thanks,” he replies dryly. “Cheers I guess.”

They both take swigs of their drinks.

“Did you notice the look Seungcheol was giving me?” Jihoon asks. No point in beating around the bush.

Soonyoung nods. “I have no idea what that guy’s thinking,” Soonyoung says. “It seemed to come out of nowhere; in fact, he just stopped in the middle of a sentence and stopped talking altogether!”

Jihoon opens his mouth to reply, but his entire mind goes blank when he hears it.

That’s—that’s his neighbour’s voice!

Jihoon’s eyes dart wildly around the room until he identifies the singer.

It takes a second, but things do click into place. It feels like the ground has been pulled out from under his feet and he’s been dropped onto a higher plane of fucking existence.

His neighbour, his singing-in-the-shower soulmate, and his office crush are the same damn person.

It feels like he’s dreaming. He can’t decide if he likes it or not.

Goosebumps spread over Jihoon’s prickling skin. Suddenly, the warmth of everyone’s combined body heat is the steam from his shower and the distant beep of the machine’s metronome is the patter of water hitting the tiles around him. His chest tightens as heat curls in his stomach, the longing caged inside unsure if it wants to grow wings and force its way out or buckle down and prepare for—something.

That voice is fuller now that it surrounds Jihoon in its entirety. He suppose it only makes sense, seeing as it had enough body to pierce through their apartment walls. But, god, speaking of body—

For days on end, Jihoon contemplated what kind of body his mystery partner had. To think it was the same broad shoulders he daydreamed about at work, the same sturdy waist he imagined encircled by his arms, the same thick thighs on which he yearned to sprawl out...

That man engaged Jihoon while naked and vulnerable.

Jihoon has no idea how to feel about any of this. At least he understands Seungcheol's earlier surprise to some degree.

The song wraps up. People seem to be noticing the electricity between Jihoon and Seungcheol if the shifty eyes are anything to go on.

Jihoon can't move a single muscle. Silence begins to sprout through the floor tiles. And then Seungcheol grins, soft and delighted, and scampers over to the remote.

Mingyu and Seungkwan exchange looks. They grab Seokmin by the waist and drag him over to Soonyoung's side of the couch, where everyone then begins to whisper loudly to each other.

At this point, Jihoon doesn't care about anything or anyone besides the man in the centre of the room.

Another Day6 song starts to chime its electronic, tinny intro. Jihoon recognizes it instantly.

 

_ "Why why why do I stare at the ceiling every night? _ _   
_ _ Because of you, I’m just burning up." _

 

For a second, Jihoon feels a twinge of anxiety tug at his stomach: is Seungcheol really airing out his feelings in front of everyone? Then again, how is anyone supposed to know that Seungcheol has been the one singing with him through their thin shared wall all this time? Besides Soonyoung, of course, but that's not the point.

It's a bold move. It's deeply endearing and Jihoon can feel the ground fall out from under him again—except this time, he has no idea where he's gonna end up when he lands.

 

_ "I gave you so many hints for you to notice me, but you didn’t. _ _   
_ _ Why don’t you know?" _

 

Everyone joins in and does the "oh no" at the end of that line, and a helpless laugh bubbles out from the pit of Jihoon's chest.

The chorus is coming up and Jihoon can feel butterflies starting to rise in his stomach. Seungcheol turns towards him just a little; Jihoon's breath catches in his throat. It's not enough for Seungcheol to ignore the lyrics playing on the screen, but it's enough to get their eyes to meet.

 

_ "I’m serious. _ _   
_ _ My eyes say that I like you _ _   
_ _ Why don’t you feel it? _ _   
_ __ My face is so obvious."

 

As Seungcheol sings, a cheesy, greasy grin spreads across those kissable lips of his. Now this definitely feels like a dream; sure, they sang a couple songs about love, but that's the nature of pop music nowadays. Having it directed at Jihoon himself is a different feeling entirely.

It's weird just to think it, but maybe the weirdest part of this is hearing Seungcheol sing without  jumping in. It's already wild to experience this beyond the safety of his home, without the partition separating their two worlds, so the structure Jihoon would normally fall back on is routine. 

He supposes it's only fair, considering that bringing it out into the open, into a plane too-real and crammed in a karaoke room, has transformed their usual song and dance into a new creature entirely.

 

_ "Should I just give up? _ _   
_ _ I've thought about it for nights on end with eyes wide open. _ _   
_ _ I can’t, I can’t— _ _   
_ __ Because of you, my eyes can’t go anywhere else."

 

There's something a little too honest about those lines. Jihoon doesn't want to take it to heart: it's not Seungcheol's song, after all. But the way Seungcheol's eyes drill into Jihoon's has that same honest quality. Jihoon feels his chest tighten.

 

_ "In the end, I just made you listen to useless things _ _   
_ _ and I let you go with a smile. _ _   
_ __ Why am I like this?"

 

Seungcheol gives Jihoon one last grin, sheepish this time, before he turns back to face the screen fully. If that line was meant as a reflection of all the awkward passes they've made at each other, then Jihoon is relieved, to say the least. He laughs again and joins in when the rest of the room's occupants join in on the chorus.

When the song comes to a close, applause echoes in the room. Seungcheol's first solo song of the night just had to be that, huh?

They exchange glances and shy smiles. Being so skittish about this feels like being a kid all over again, and maybe it's weird considering how this all started, but Jihoon has decided that nothing about this is normal and so none of the rules apply.

Seungcheol heads over to the table and picks up a bottle of soju. He cracks it open and takes a long pull from it.

"Wetting your throat to prepare for our duet?" Jihoon asks as he sidles up to Seungcheol.

It sounds more like a euphemism than a conversation starter, but Jihoon will take it.

Seungcheol laughs, and then he chokes on the drink a little. Jihoon pats his back before holding out his own bottle of soju.

"Hey," Jihoon says, "here's to solving a mystery together, eh?"

Seungcheol laughs again. He brings his bottle to Jihoon's, the glass clinking loud enough to overpower the whispers behind them.

They both take long, long draws of their drinks. They exchange another look before finishing their drinks altogether.

This is gonna be a fun night.

 

* * *

 

By the time all the bottles of soju are empty, everyone's got their arms around each other and a raspy quality to their voices. Jihoon is practically in Seungcheol's lap at this point, but no one seems to care, let alone Seungcheol himself.

The same dude from earlier, one of the sales clerks, pops his head into the room.

"We're closing now," he says. "Please make your exit within the next twenty minutes. Thanks for your patronage."

He closes the door. Everyone heaves a tired sigh.

Soonyoung drops his head in Jihoon's lap. "I'm getting Channie to pick me up," he says. "Do you want a ride?"

Jihoon laughs and pets Soonyoung's hair. "Soonyoung-ah," he replies, his voice light and scratchy, "I don't live with you anymore, remember?"

Soonyoung takes a moment to consider that. "Oh. Right."

Seungcheol turns to face Jihoon, and in doing so, he slides his chin on top of Jihoon's head. The warmth of Seungcheol's chest is on the cusp of overwhelming, but in the end, comfort wins out. Jihoon nuzzles a little closer.

"I'm getting a ride home, too," Seungcheol says. Jihoon hears his voice moreso in Seungcheol's chest than from his mouth. "I'm sure it'll be fine for you to come along since—you know."

A helpless laugh bounces between their bodies before it comes clattering out of Jihoon's mouth.

"That'd be nice, thanks," Jihoon replies.

Mingyu gets to his feet with Seungkwan clinging to his back like a sleepy baby. Scratch that—he pretty much is a sleepy baby with the way his cheek is pressed against Mingyu's shoulder. It shapes his open mouth into a cute heart shape.

Seungkwan throws up a V sign.

"It was fun hanging with you guys," he says, his words slightly slurred and slightly muffled. Mingyu hoists him higher on his back and Seungkwan doesn't even blink. "See you at work."

He salutes. Mingyu makes a move to do the same, earning him a lightning-quick smack from his passenger.

"Hey!" Seungkwan snaps. "Are you forgetting who you're holding?"

Mingyu's apologetic, pacifying words follow them out the door.

Seokmin flops onto Soonyoung's stomach. Giggling, Soonyoung pulls Seokmin up onto his chest and buries his face into Seokmin's shoulder.

"Come on, guys," Seungcheol says, swatting ineffectively at Soonyoung's shoulder. "They told us to leave, not to get comfy."

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Soonyoung lays a hand against his forehead. "I'm simply catching my breath," he replies. "They gave us twenty minutes. That's plenty of time."

Seungcheol snorts. "That's just a courtesy thing. You know they want us to be out of here as soon as possible."

Jihoon grumbles and loops an arm around Seungcheol's waist. Seungcheol's heart skips a beat.

"Bossy," Jihoon mutters. "Come on, what's another five minutes of lazing around?"

"It means there's another five minutes before they can go home," Seungcheol protests. His voice is much weaker this time around, quieted by Jihoon's easy, comfortable affection.

Jihoon doesn't reply to that. Instead, he presses his cheek against Seungcheol's collarbone and sighs.

"Alright, kids," Jihoon says after a few moments of quiet, "you heard the man. Let's get going."

Both Soonyoung and Seokmin whine and complain, but they do sit up. The standing process is a little slow; it takes Seokmin's helping hand to get Soonyoung onto his feet, where he proceeds to flop against Seokmin's shoulder.

Jihoon slides off Seungcheol's thigh with surprising grace. His hand trails down the inside of his leg as Jihoon rights his weight on his feet, leaving a line of fire in his wake.

Fuck.

When they step outside, the cool night air hits Seungcheol like a freight train. It shouldn't be this cold considering it's late spring, dammit. Seokmin and Soonyoung cling to each other as they wait for their ride.

That's not a bad idea. It was so humid and warm in that karaoke room, filled with everyone's body heat combined. Seungcheol misses Jihoon's warm and solid weight against him.

Just as Seungcheol gathers the courage to say something, his phone goes off.

_ 'Baby, why I'm so lonely? I’m so desperate, but you’re not. Baby, no—' _

Jihoon gives him a curious look as Seungcheol answers it.

_ "Hey, jackass, I'm pulling into the parking lot," _ Jeonghan says over the line.

"No need for names this late at night, Hannie," Seungcheol huffs.

_ "Shut up. Who drinks on a fucking Wednesday night?" _

"An underpaid loser without regular hours," Seungcheol says with much more melancholy than he meant.

_ "Okay, wow, geez, calm down. You know I'm joking." _

Seungcheol sighs. "I know," he replies. "Oh, and—I'm bringing Jihoon with me."

_ "Jihoon?" _ The phone line can't contain Jeonghan's surprise.  _ "What? I thought he barely knew your name!" _

"I'll explain later," Seungcheol says.

_ "Wait, hold up—you're taking him home with you? Seungcheol, I don't know if I can let you drunk-fuck with the guy you've been crushing on since—" _

"I told you I'd explain later!" 

Seungcheol's raised voice catches everyone's attention. He coughs into his hand and steps closer to the curb.

"He's my neighbour, relax," he murmurs into the receiver.

There's a few seconds of silence on the other side.

_ "Yeah," _ Jeonghan says gravely.  _ "Yeah, you better fucking explain. At a less ridiculous hour, might I add. And get your toes off the road, I'm here." _

Jeonghan's car pulls up in front of them. Seungcheol turns back and takes Jihoon's hand into his own.

"There's our ride," Seungcheol says to Seokmin and Soonyoung. "It was really fun hanging out with you guys! We should do this again some time!"

The two of them wave. "Definitely!" Seokmin says. "See you later!"

Seungcheol tugs Jihoon into the car. As they pile into the backseat, Seungcheol tries his best to communicate to Jeonghan that he should stop shooting him the fucking evil eye.

Luckily, Jihoon appears to be uninterested in the looks Jeonghan gives him through the rearview mirror. He's too busy trying to buckle his seatbelt without letting go of Seungcheol's hand.

Chuckling, Seungcheol leans over and lets go of Jihoon's hand in favour of doing the buckle for him. Once he's done that, he takes Jihoon's hand again. Jihoon smiles and casts his gaze towards the window, a slight blush colouring his cheeks.

Seungcheol glances at Jeonghan again. The guy is shooting him daggers with his eyes. Seungcheol gives him an apologetic look and hopes it'll be enough to appease him until they can get an opportunity to talk.

It's not a long drive. Seungcheol can hear his heart thudding in his chest the entire time, however; it drums out an erratic beat since it skips every time Jihoon rubs his thumb over the top of his knuckles. Every now and then they try to steal glances at each other, and every time their eyes meet they look away almost immediately.

It's stupid. Stupidly exhilarating.

When they pull up outside their apartment building, Jeonghan addresses them. "Have a good night, guys," he says, his voice weighed down with traces of exhaustion. He cracks a smile at them nonetheless. "Get up safely. And Seungcheol-ah."

Seungcheol blinks at the rearview mirror.

"I'll talk to you later," Jeonghan tells him.

It rings like a warning bell that Seongcheol is happy to ignore for now.

"Bye!" Jihoon calls after he clambers out of the car.

Jeonghan waves at Jihoon with a smile. When his eyes slide over to Seungcheol, his expression hardens into a glare, but then Jihoon shuts the door and ends Seungcheol's suffering.

Seungcheol sighs.

"He's a great guy," Seungcheol says, feeling strangely obligated to... explain himself, maybe.

“Sure,” Jihoon replies. He doesn’t seem interested in asking questions; instead, he tugs on Seungcheol’s hand and angles his body towards the entrance to their apartment building.

“Let’s go?” he asks. He’s already walking forward.

Laughing, Seungcheol nods and takes long strides to catch up. 

Their steps echo throughout the stairwell as they ascend. The sound reverberates around Seungcheol’s fuzzy head, encasing him in the moment, surrounded by amber that reduces his world to Jihoon and the space between him.

He looks up at Jihoon and Jihoon looks back at him, throwing him a grin over his shoulder. 

When they reach their floor, they stop at the space between their two apartments, still holding hands.

“Um…” Jihoon murmurs. His hand flexes in Seungcheol’s, but he makes no other move.

Seungcheol takes a deep breath and pulls on Jihoon’s hand.

“Come on,” Seungcheol says, trying for a smile. Jihoon’s face falls slack and his eyes widen, but he is lax in Seungcheol’s grip and follows Seungcheol obediently as he leads him towards his door.

His heart is pounding in his chest, but Jihoon still isn’t saying anything. As he begins to fumble with his key, Seungcheol throws a nervous glance in Jihoon’s direction. 

“My place is always clean,” Seungcheol says, mostly for the sake of filling the silence. “I don’t have a lot of stuff anyway, so—”

Wearing a lopsided smile, Jihoon knocks his elbow against Seungcheol’s. “Don’t worry about it,” he replies. “I’m not interested in sightseeing.”

He laughs a bit at his own joke and the sound helps dissipate the knots that have built in Seungcheol’s stomach. 

They’re about to enter his apartment. What else are they gonna do?

Seungcheol grins to himself. 

“Funny, huh,” Jihoon says, his tone high like a question, but Seungcheol doesn’t seem inclined to answer him. 

“I’m just excited,” is Seungcheol’s too-honest response. 

Jihoon grins. “Me too.”

That’s what does it: that gives the boost Seungcheol needs to tighten his hand around Jihoon’s and pull him inside. 

**Author's Note:**

> the songs in order as they appear in the fic (if you can't access the links/want to look up the songs elsewhere):
> 
> Flying Without Wings - Westlife  
> YOSM - Kanto ft. Woozi  
> Hello - NU'EST  
> D (Half Moon) - Dean ft. Gaeko


End file.
